


damos: Fic: One Last Chance

by damos



Category: Blake's 7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-28
Updated: 2009-11-28
Packaged: 2017-10-03 22:57:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/damos/pseuds/damos





	damos: Fic: One Last Chance

  
  
  
**Entry tags:** |   
[b7](http://damos.livejournal.com/tag/b7), [fic](http://damos.livejournal.com/tag/fic)  
  
---|---  
  
_ **Fic: One Last Chance** _

One last chance

  
*First of all, I want to thank you for giving me this chance to re-establish myself. This is a great opportunity and I'll try not to forget that. Still, I hope you won't feel the need to edit too much of what I have written here--she was surprisingly forthcoming. I don't know what you all will title it, but I thought I'd put forward my own suggestion. Oh, and please tell Wen that I think her story on the food situation on Suni was great reading--chilling and all that, of course, but first rate writing.

Supreme Commander Supremely Captured: Former 'President' found by Federation.  
Nolen Goro

Surrounded as she is by four prison walls, it is surprising that she still holds herself with a regal bearing. If it were not for her prison garb, it wouldn't be hard to imagine her running the place. Long gone are the thousand credit dresses of yore (some now being auctioned off by her more opportunistic lackeys, if the rumors are true), replaced by the dull grey jumpsuit of a common prisoner. Still, there is a glint in her eyes that can send shivers down your back and the occasional smile that might mean she has some plan of escape, but is more likely a sign of encroaching madness.

She briefly ran the Federation in a mad scramble for power after the attack of the Andromedan fleet. The year following the defeat of the Andromedans was difficult on everyone, of course, and the power struggle at the top of the Federation became more intense than it had been in over seventy years. Servalan was last seen on Earth three years ago and then vanished without a trace. However, a former aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that it was common for her to take unannounced trips to the farthest reaches of the Federation to avoid detection by her enemies. The purposes of these trips have not been determined, though it is hoped the trial will uncover some of her secrets.

In an heartening show of good faith, the New Federation News has been granted an extraordinary opportunity to interview the disgraced former dictator.   
In the moments before the interview, I was allowed to view her on the security cameras that moniter her every move. She seemed a small, frail creature--wounded and seeking solace in the quiet isolation of her small cell. Once I entered the room, she transformed herself into a commanding presence, gaining full centimeters as she straightened up, smiled, and extended her arms to nearly the full length of her new concrete home.

Servalan: What a pleasant surprise.

Goro: Hello, former Supreme Commander.

S: What? Not former President, I'm saddened, Goro.

I was somewhat taken aback both by her glib tone and the fact that she knew my name. Always resourceful, the former Supreme Commander seemed to have been quite prepared for my "surprise" visit. [Did you tell the officials it would be me? Damn, but that was a chilling moment. If you did tell them, please, please don't do that again. I nearly died on the spot. I know you probably haven't seen a picture of her, but she has these piercing eyes. . . and she knows full well how to turn the tables in an interview. She damn near had control at that moment].

Perhaps her comfort and ability to gain information lend some credence to the reports of the growing laxity in the prison systems. Our own [what is his name?] has been working on a three part expose of the conditions in 'Club Fed,' the prison for high ranking Alphas under the Old Federation. It would seem that "The Well Heeled Cat," as a former aide described her, has landed on her feet even here. Ironically, she finds herself in the strictly monitored facility for traitors and agitators of all grades she established early in her tenure as head of Space Command.

After I haltingly explained that her illegal coup did not officially entitle her to be called "President," the interview continued:

S: So tell me, have they found them yet?

G: Them?

S: Oh, don't play dumb with me.

She smiles at me again. I am not sure if she means to imply that I am in on some joke or just the butt of a joke she isn't sharing with me.

S: I mean Blake and the rest, and you know it.

So, there it is. Less than one minute into our interview and she has mentioned the name of the rebel she inflated into a hero for the outer worlds--a man who many in the New Federation claim never existed. More to the point, they argue he never did half of the things Servalan claimed he did as she first hoarded power for Space Command and then for herself.

G: There has, as I am sure you know, been no sign of Blake or any of his fellow rebels.

S: I thought not. He is far too clever to reveal himself now that. . .

Her words trail off as her eyes lose their contact with my own and drift into a corner of the room, focussing, perhaps, on some point out in the deepness of space. She smiles again and, for a brief moment, seems almost wistful: Hardly the expression I expected after reading her long dossier with Space Command.

G: Now that you have been captured?

S: You have such a mundane way of looking at the world.

G: Why would Blake, if he is the fanatic you make him out to be, abandon his rebellion just because you are in a prison?

The would-be ruler of the Federation tilts her head slightly at my question and then smiles. It is a distinctly different smile than the last one. It is becoming clearer that I am the butt of the joke.

S: So what do they want me to tell you? How awful I am? Am I to break down in tears and beg forgiveness? I did what I did to preserve the Federation, to avoid the chaos and ruin that zealots like Blake spread.

G: I don't know what they expect. I suspect you have a better idea of that than I do. If you don't plan to explain your actions, why are you answering my questions?

S: Not explain myself? My dear Goro, you've got to be quicker if you want to keep up. I have explained myself many times. I simply haven't apologized.

G: Fine, fine. So why are we still talking?

S: Perhaps I just want the company.

G: I'm not *that* slow.

She smiles again. This latest smile is slightly better than the last, and it improves my hopes that I might be in on the joke.

S: I was so hoping you wouldn't be.

G: So. . . the point?

S: Right. Back to business. I don't know if Blake is alive or not. I believed him to be dead once, but the rumors are too consistent.

G: Rumors?

She ignores my interjection.

S: At any rate, members of his crew are still alive and, without his guidance, might prove a deadlier threat to the stability of our Federation than they would have with Blake's leadership.

G: I'm not sure I follow you. In fact, I'm not sure I believe what you are asserting. What credible evidence do you have that Roj Blake and the others did anything to threaten the Federation other than run away from the London?

S: Please. . . You are disappointing me.

G: Alright. Rumors place him everywhere from Albian to the Zoraf system. Federation sources only place them on Atlay, Centero, and then the attack on Space Command. Three confirmed sightings of Blake and his group over the last six years and none in the last three.

S: I did say you were going to have to be quick.

She pauses and sighs.

S: Look, without Blake they may seem like simple criminals, but they are much, much more than that. They have avoided the best soldiers for the last six years.

G: Like the disgraced former Space Commander Travis?

S: Travis was. . . indelicate.

G: You call mass murder indelicate?

S: I might remind you that he was not actually convicted of that crime. The tribunal never returned its verdict. But, your point is taken. (She smiles again, I think this last one puts me firmly in the running to be in on the joke). Travis' mistake was that he couldn't let go. He couldn't forget the past and let bygones be bygones.

G: Unlike you?

S: Exactly. Now, to my point: They attempted to disrupt the economy of Zerok by attacking the gold processing facilities. In that attempt, they not only stole a shipment of gold, but also attacked a space liner.

G: So you claim.

S: Are you going to be this tiresome for the entire interview? If you must, you can always check the records on Zerok.

[Can you have someone in research see what they can find out about this?]

G: . . . which are unlikely to indicate who conducted the raid.

The smile is long gone at this point. Her lips draw tight and I fear for my life until I remember that she can no longer order me dragged out of the room and beaten to a pulp. It is somehow little comfort, however, as she continues to exude power like a person who is used to being followed.

G: . . . but would confirm, at least, that such an attack took place.

S: Right. Imagine what they could do with all that gold if they were able to get their hands on it. I mean, if they were able to convert it back to usable gold.

G: So that is your message? A public service announcement?

S: No, of course not. (The smile has returned again, but that uncomfortable feeling that my life is in danger has not gone away). I want to let them know that I am willing to make a deal. I want to make sure that the right people get that message. I have a good deal of information that could lead to the capture of that rebel rabble.

G: So you claim to be. . .

S: Useful. I am always useful.

The full smile returns. She seems to honestly believe that the leadership of the New Federation might be willing to make some sort of deal with her for information. Perhaps she is truly useful, but I would imagine that our leaders have learned that when the Well Heeled Cat lands on her feet, those heels are usually grinding into the backs of the people she lands on.

G: A few final questions, if you don't mind.

S: Oh, I have nothing but time, and how could I mind chatting with such a charming conversationalist (and I am losing again. Servalan seems to be back in full form now. Still there is nothing to do but charge ahead).

G: As you know, there have been several credible claims that Blake and his crew have all been killed.

S: And you want to know if I believe them? The mere fact that there are so many 'credible' claims ought to tell you that they aren't credible.

G: And yet there isn't a single indication that the rebels did anything after the Andromedan attack.

S: One of his crew was involved in the last Teal-Vandor . . .

G: Oh, please, former Supreme Commander. One of the Tarrants, I suppose? How many different criminals do you expect us to believe were in Blake's inner circle?

S: Del Tarrant was. Is. And am I supposed to be surprised that outlaws don't show their faces at every opportunity?

G: Back to the question: in at least two cases, we have Space Command officers claiming to be eye witnesses.

S: One claims to have seen a spaceship that looked like the Liberator explode, but has no wreckage and can't provide coordinates for confirmation. The other claims to have seen one of his own followers shoot Blake and then, conveniently, she was knocked out while the rest were killed? And she awoke to find that the bodies, including Blake's, had been burned and scattered to the winds? Please, Goro. You printed better lies than that at your last job.

G: I would be more hurt if I thought you had ever read anything I wrote.

S: Yes, of course. (The condescending smile has returned and I am starting to lose badly).

G: If you are so sure that Blake and his rebels are still out there, why publicly state that you are willing to help the New Federation hunt them down?

S: I have to let . . .

She pauses, carefully considering her words.

S: Iet our . . . dedicated leaders know of my good intentions. Besides, I am not afraid of them here. I am in one of the only high security compounds on Earth. It isn't as though they have a way of tapping into every computer in the Federation. I doubt they could bypass the alarm system for more than two minutes even if they could breach the prison's computer system. No, no. I am quite safe here. It is ironic, really.

G: Ironic?

S: The rebels have gone into hiding in part to embarass me. Because the new, what are they calling themselves, tribunal?

G: Yes.

S: . . . tribunal are claiming they will reform part of the Federation. Using me as an example, of course. I can already imagine how this publicity event will go. Or are they still calling it a trial?

G: You have to admit that some of the actions you took . .

S: I don't have to admit anything of the sort. There were real risks that required real, decisive action. The rebels are reducing the apparant risks to make it look like I over-reacted, like I caused the rebellion. Blake was a rebel years before I assumed the Supreme Commandership. Don't forget that. He. . . they . . . the rebels are using me. Laying low to make me suffer.

The interview, for all intents and purposes, ended at that point We exchanged a few pleasantries and she suggested the names of a one or two people I should talk to if I wanted to see more of her side of the story. As I left, I took the oportunity to watch her for a few moments on the security cameras. I had expected her to shrink back into the small, frightened figure I watched before entering the tiny cell that was her entire world. Instead she sat calmly on the bench that doubled as her chair and bed. She sat like she was already waiting for a response. Like she had ordered pursuit ships on a mission and was waiting, with as much patience as she could muster, for them to return. Her sad delusions and maniacal focus on Blake are a cautionary tale to us all: A reminder of one of the lessons handed down from the Old Calendar when the Lord of Action said that the powerful were absolutely corrupt.


End file.
